Cyber-bullying, parental obligations among topics to be discussed at Saturday’s seminar for parents, students

Thursday

Jan 23, 2014 at 6:00 PMJan 23, 2014 at 6:52 PM

Saturday seminar will feature discussions on a range of topics of interest to parents and students, from how to deal with online bullies to how to teach respect for authority figures.

By Casey MutchlerSpecial to The Tuscaloosa News

A Saturday seminar will feature discussions on a range of topics of interest to parents and students, from how to deal with online bullies to how to teach respect for authority figures.

The Tuscaloosa Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and DELTA Inc., along with the Tuscaloosa City Schools, will host the event, "Empowering Parents and Students on Rights and Responsibilities."

"We will discuss cyber-bullying and social media and the importance of parents getting involved with school programs," said Samyra Snoddy, a member of Delta Sigma Theta and one of the event's organizers.

She said they hope to have around 200 people attend Saturday's event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the auditorium of Central High School, 905 15th St..The event is designed for parents and students age 11 to 18.

Scheduled speakers include Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steve Anderson, University of Alabama associate professor Karen Baynes-Dunning and Tuscaloosa Assistant City Attorney Chris England.The speakers will discuss how to respond to social media bullying and the proper way to engage authority figures inside the school system.

"We encourage more parents to come out and be involved with students' programs," Snoddy said.

During the forum there will be performances by the Westlawn Middle School Choir, Central High School's drum line and dance line, the Northport Kappa League and the Junior Cosmos Study Club.Students from all Tuscaloosa City middle and high schools are encouraged to create a poster or flier submitted to Tuscaloosa City Schools' Facebook event page. The deadline for the poster is 5 p.m. today. The contestant with the most "likes" on Facebook will win an iPad Mini during the event.

This is the third event in the Parents PLUS (Partners in Learning United for Success) series.